Department for Transport

Aviation: Coronavirus

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will remodel the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme to allow ground handlers to use the grant for other fixed costs as well as business rates relief so that the package equally supports all parts of the aviation supply chain.

Robert Courts: Payments are not limited to use on business rates cost only. The Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) opened for applications on 29 January to provide support for eligible commercial airports and ground handlers in England. It will provide support up to the equivalent of their business rates liabilities in the 2020/21 financial year, subject to certain conditions and a cap per claimant of £8m. Grant payments made to successful applicants can be applied toward costs which are essential to enable the operation of a commercial airport or ground handling operations and falls within the list of eligible expenditure.

Travel: Coronavirus

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason pre-arrival covid-19 tests for people arriving in the UK are only accepted in English, French or Spanish.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to expand the number of languages accepted for pre-arrival covid-19 tests.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate the Government has made of the number of British nationals that are unable to return to the UK due to the unavailability of English language test certificates in their country of origin.

Robert Courts: Travellers must present proof of a negative coronavirus test result taken within the 3 days before their departure to the UK. The Government considered carefully which languages to permit the result notification to be provided in. English, French and Spanish were deemed to be appropriate as the majority of countries’ testing providers could meet this requirement. The result notification must be understandable to Border Force personnel upon arrival in the UK for enforcement purposes. This is possible with French and Spanish, given the similarity of key wording in the notification to English. Widening the number of languages permitted for the notification would reduce the ability of Border Force to assess adequately the veracity of the result. There is no requirement for British travellers or residents to register with the FCDO when they travel or live abroad, so the Government does not hold data on the number of British nationals overseas, or those unable to return to the UK for any reason.

Travel: Quarantine

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions the Government has had with representatives of the (a) airline and (b) travel sectors on exiting the Government's covid-19 quarantine strategy.

Robert Courts: Ministers and officials have engaged extensively with the aviation and travel industries throughout the pandemic. We remain committed to an open engagement with the sector and continue to work with industry to share information and provide industry the opportunity to contribute as policy develops, with the aim of helping retain jobs and return the sector to growth as soon as possible.

Driving Licences: France

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to update the guidance for UK driving licence holders resident in France.

Rachel Maclean: UK licence holders resident in France can continue to use their UK licence until 1 January 2022, provided that it remains valid in the UK. My officials are making every effort to reach an understanding with France regarding long-term licence exchange arrangements for UK nationals resident in France. Guidance on gov.uk is regularly reviewed and I will ensure that pages are updated as soon as future arrangements are finalised

Driving Tests: Urban Areas

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that driving test centres are based in town centres.

Rachel Maclean: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency keeps its estate under review to ensure site locations are fit for purpose and provide customers with a value for money service. Practical test centres are, ideally, located away from congested city centres in suburban and business estates, with access to a meaningful network of roads used for test routes, and are not reliant on accessibility of public transport.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Intellectual Property

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on potential economic costs for the UK in the event that the proposed World Trade Organisation TRIPS Waiver is not approved.

Amanda Solloway: The UK Government does not consider waiving IP rights to be an appropriate course of action to boost the manufacturing of safe, effective and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies, to detect, treat and defend against COVID-19. The incentives and access mechanisms provided by the IP framework have been integral to this success, without which we would not have seen the impressive surge of R&D and the unprecedented scaling up of production.

Post Office: Subsidies

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the end of the transition period on (a) the Post Office  Ltd subsidy entrustment letter written to align with EU requirements and (b) how that subsidy is distributed to subpostmasters.

Paul Scully: The Post Office entrustment letter for the last spending review period was in part put in place to ensure compliance with EU State aid rules. The EU State aid rules no longer apply now the UK has left the European Union. For the next Spending Review Period, which will take effect in April 2021, a new funding agreement will be agreed with Post Office. This will take full account of the new Trade and Cooperation Agreement requirements on subsidy. The £50m network subsidy will be distributed to postmasters by Post Office Ltd and is therefore an operational matter for Post Office Ltd.

Post Office: Subsidies

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much money he has allocated for the services of general economic interest referred to in Annex A of the Entrustment Letter used as the basis for the roll out of the Post Office Ltd subsidy.

Paul Scully: The term ‘Services of General Economic Interest’ was associated with the EU state aid regime which no longer applies now the UK has left the EU. To date, the term services of general economic services has been used to describe the services provided by the Post Office network including postal services, banking and payment services. For the spending review period April 2021 to March 2022, the Government has maintained the subsidy to the Post Office network at £50 million to safeguard these services in the uncommercial parts of the network. The Government has also allocated a further £177 million which will allow Post Office Ltd to invest for the future and to ensure they remain a vital force on our high streets.

Post Office: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on what date he plans to publish the aggregate amount of payments made by the Government to Post Office Ltd.

Paul Scully: The information requested is available in the public domain. Post Office Ltd publishes their reports and accounts annually and lays them before Parliament. These reports include information on the funding provided to the Post Office by the Government and can be found here: http://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/secure-corporate/our-financials/post-office-annual-report-accounts-2020/.In the Government's most recent Spending Review, it was announced that we will be investing £227m in the Post Office in 2021/22. This reflects our commitment to the role that post offices play across our communities. Since 2010, successive governments have provided over £2.4 billion in subsidy.

Green Homes Grant Scheme

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to simplify the applications process for the Green Homes Grant scheme.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We have provided updated guidance to both installers and homeowners, so they are clear on the information needed for the scheme administrator to approve an application, for example around providing quotes. We have already made improvements based on feedback received and are working closely with the scheme administrator to identify further improvements and support increasing the numbers of vouchers to be issued. However, applications must be thoroughly checked for compliance with the scheme rules to help ensure value for money, consumer protection, and detect malpractice.

Boilers

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress has been made on (a) removing and (b) replacing fossil fuel boilers in (i) public sector and (ii) private sector homes.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: BEIS have been supporting the installation of renewable heating systems in public and private sector homes and buildings via the Renewable Heat Incentive. The Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive has supported 84,707 installations as of December 2020 and the Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive has supported 20,673 installations as of December 2020. The Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme aims to deliver energy efficiency and clean heat upgrades to 600,000 homes across England. Clean heat measures (including heat pumps, solar thermal panels and biomass boilers) are one of the groups of primary measures funded through the scheme. The £1 billion Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme provides grants for public sector bodies to fund energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation measures, including low carbon heating. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan included a commitment for further funding for the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in the 2021/22 financial year, with more information to be announced in due course. In addition to this, BEIS’ Heat Networks Investment Project has awarded over £125m for the development and construction of heat networks in England and Wales since its launch in 2018. This will enable greater deployment of heat networks as an alternative to domestic boilers.

Boilers

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress has been made on banning the installation of fossil fuel boilers by 2025 in new build homes.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Government is committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. We are clear that the continued use of fossil fuels for heating is not compatible with that ambition. When it is implemented in 2025, the Future Homes Standard will ensure that all new build homes are zero carbon ready. While building regulations themselves do not mandate or ban the use of any specific technologies, we intend to set the performance standard at a level which means that new homes will not be built with fossil fuel heating. In line with that ambition, the 2020 Energy White Paper committed to consulting on whether it is appropriate to end gas grid connections to new build homes from 2025, in favour of clean energy alternatives. We will provide more detail on the Government’s approach in our Heat and Buildings Strategy, which we will publish in due course.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) competitiveness of electricity prices in the UK and (b) effect of those prices on the UK steel sector’s ability to compete internationally.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. The ability for our industries to be able to compete across Europe and globally is a priority for this Government. The Government has put moving to a cleaner, greener economy at the heart of its Industrial Strategy, especially with our commitment to Net Zero. Our aim is to work with the steel sector and help them to reduce carbon emissions. We will continue to support the steel sector in achieving these aims through the various funds available such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and Clean Steel Fund. We estimate that reduction in the various renewable costs for eligible energy intensive industries, including steel, will save them around £400m a year in electricity costs. We have also extended the schemes to compensate certain energy intensive industries for indirect emission cost to the end of the next financial year in order to minimise disruption to existing recipients whilst we conduct a review. Between 2013 and 2019, total compensation paid to the steel sector was over £480m. We welcome the recent report by UK Steel - “Closing the Gap” - regarding electricity prices and will give its recommendations careful consideration.

Iron and Steel: Manufacturing Industries

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made by UK Steel in its February 2021 report, Closing the Gap, on reducing the disparity between the UK and the German and French industrial electricity prices.

Nadhim Zahawi: We welcome this report and will give its recommendations careful consideration.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to prioritise frontline workers along with the elderly and health care workers in the roll-out of safe and effective covid-19 vaccines.

Jo Churchill: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI has advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. For the first phase, the JCVI has advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors. Prioritisation decisions for next phase delivery are subject to of the surveillance and monitoring data and information from phase one, as well as further input from independent scientific experts such as the JCVI. Phase two may include further reduction in hospitalisation and targeted vaccination of those at high risk of exposure and/or those delivering key public services.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the report of the British Society for Immunology for studies on the efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine after altering the dosing interval of that vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: The British Society for Immunology report provides an expert review of current research on immunity and COVID-19 and recommends research to add to our knowledge about the immune system’s response. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation are jointly funding the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium, which will address key research themes on immunity to COVID-19. In addition, the NIHR has contracted the National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium to gather immunological evidence on 28 day and 12 week dosing intervals for the Oxford University/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. Public Health England is also monitoring the effectiveness of vaccines on disease, infection and transmission including the impact of dosing intervals on effectiveness.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will clarify his Department's advice on people with a penicillin allergy receiving the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: People with a penicillin allergy should be able to receive the currently authorised Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as the final vaccine products do not contain penicillin. The COVID-19 vaccines should not be given to those who have had a previous systemic allergic reaction, including immediate-onset anaphylaxis, to a previous dose of the same COVID-19 vaccine or to any component of the vaccine. If people have any specific concerns as to whether they can receive the vaccine, they should ask their general practitioner or consultant team.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the implications for safety of NHS trusts waiting (a) 12 and (b) three weeks to give the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to frontline staff who are caring for covid-19 patients.

Nadhim Zahawi: There is insufficient data to undertake a formal comparative assessment of the implications for safety of different dose intervals with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will designate counsellors and psychotherapists as front line workers for the purposes of covid-19 vaccination priority.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that for phase one of the COVID-19 vaccine programme, the vaccine first be given to care home residents and staff and those over 80 years old, followed by frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors.Frontline healthcare workers include staff involved in direct patient care who have frequent face-to-face clinical contact with patients and who are directly involved in patient care in either secondary or primary care/community settings. This also includes those working in independent, voluntary and non-standard healthcare settings such as hospices, and community-based mental health or addiction services.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of categorising crematorium and cemetery staff as frontline healthcare staff for the purposes of the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI identified that the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers should be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccination programme, as they are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection and also transmitting that infection to those vulnerable to COVID-19 and other staff. Crematorium operations may involve handling the deceased and therefore present a risk of exposure to COVID-19. However, these functions do not necessitate entering or accessing a healthcare setting and therefore presents a low risk of transmitting infection to vulnerable persons or other staff in a healthcare environment.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to asses the effect of delaying the second Pfizer/Biontech vaccine dose on immunity levels in elderly people against the South African variant of covid-19.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether elderly people will potentially have an increased risk of contracting the South African variant of covid-19 due to delaying the second dose of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine to 12 weeks.

Nadhim Zahawi: Industry led studies are ongoing to understand the level of protection the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines will provide against variant strains of COVID-19. This will include immunological studies to understand the potential for protection from COVID-19 vaccines against variants and follow up of phase three trial participants in geographical areas where variants are circulating. Global surveillance systems, including systems within Public Health England, will be able to provide observational data on vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 variants. These will be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as they become available.

TRIPS Agreement

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on public health implications for the UK in the event that the proposed World Trade Organisation TRIPS Waiver is not approved.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Government has made no such assessment and does not consider waiving intellectual property rights to be an appropriate course of action to boost the manufacturing of safe, effective and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies, to detect, treat and defend against COVID-19.

Ozanimod

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Scottish Medicine Consortium’s approval of ozanimod for Scottish patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis; and whether it is his policy to provide for the same access to innovative medicines for MS patients in England.

Jo Churchill: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service in England on whether medicines represent a clinical and cost-effective use of resources. NICE’s appraisal of ozanimod for treating relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis is ongoing and a consultation on NICE’s draft guidance closed on 12 February.

Coronavirus: Ilford North and Redbridge

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care homes have been (a) offered and (b) received the covid-19 vaccine in (i) Ilford North constituency and (ii) the London Borough of Redbridge.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information on vaccinations by local authority and parliamentary constituency is not available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that vaccination teams attending care homes vaccinate both care home staff and residents by 15 February 2021.

Nadhim Zahawi: Primary Care Networks are organising for vaccines to be delivered directly to care homes and given on site to residents by teams of general practitioners (GPs), practice nurses, community pharmacists and other trained vaccinators. They will also provide vaccination to care home staff on site where this is possible.Where it is not possible or appropriate for care home workers to receive their vaccination in the care home, their employer should make arrangements for them to receive a vaccination at another appropriate and accessible vaccination service.Anyone who has not yet received the vaccination will be visited, including those in care homes that had an outbreak. If a resident has ‘missed’ vaccination, or is new to the home, the registered manager should liaise with their GP to arrange vaccination.

Vitamin D

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vitamin D supplements have been issued as part of the Government's online offering; and whether he plans to extend that scheme into winter 2021-22.

Jo Churchill: The free vitamin D supplement scheme was introduced to benefit those asked to stay indoors more than usual over the spring and summer 2020 due to national restrictions. As of 3 February, supplements had been sent to over 300,000 adults on the clinically extremely vulnerable list that have opted in to receive the supplements, and over 150,000 residents in residential and nursing care homes in England. There are no current plans to extend the scheme into winter 2021-22.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will publish information on the effectiveness of each type of covid-19 vaccine on (a) immuno-suppressed and (b) other clinically vulnerable people to encourage people in those groups to take up those vaccines.

Nadhim Zahawi: Public Health England is monitoring the effectiveness and impact of COVID-19 vaccines on a broad range of outcomes including symptomatic disease, infection and hospitalisations as set out in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance strategy which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-strategy Vaccine effectiveness assessments are reported regularly to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to inform vaccine policy recommendations. This will include assessment of vaccine effectiveness in immunocompromised individuals and the clinically vulnerable using general practice electronic health record data. Vaccine effectiveness data will be published in due course. Once sufficient evidence becomes available, the JCVI will consider options for a protection strategy for immunosuppressed individuals, including whether any specific vaccine is preferred in this population.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice his Department is providing to people who are extremely clinically vulnerable and have high intolerances to milk or dairy when accessing the covid-19 vaccine.

Nadhim Zahawi: There are no dairy or milk products in either the Pfizer or Astra Zeneca vaccines and as such patients with such intolerances can receive either vaccine. The only allergy cautions are regarding individuals that have an allergy to an ingredient of a vaccine. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has advised that individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to food, an identified drug or vaccine, or an insect sting can receive any COVID-19 vaccine, as long as they are not known to be allergic to any component of the vaccine.

Vaccination: Standards

Dr James Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to communicate changes to the Green Book on vaccination to clinicians to ensure that patients are offered the same standards of care across the UK.

Jo Churchill: Each revision of the Green Book is promoted in the Vaccine Update (VU), a Public Health England (PHE) immunisation newsletter for health professionals and immunisation practitioners which is sent to health care professional subscribers at least once a month. Any updates are also shared with the National Immunisation Network of Screening and Immunisation professionals at their weekly meeting.A function is available through the Green Book page on the website to send an email alert when the Green Book collection or chapter is updated.The PHE immunisation guidance collection is published on gov.uk to provide information regarding the national immunisation programme and ensure patients are offered the same standards of care across the United Kingdom. This is available to read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Christina Rees: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Green Book COVID vaccine schedule in Chapter 14a, whether it is Government policy that frontline funeral operatives and mortuary technicians are frontline healthcare staff, as recommended in the recommendations by staff groups, and relevant to Priority Group 2 as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) identified that the vaccination of frontline healthcare workers should be a priority for the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Frontline staff are at high risk of acquiring COVID-19 infection but also of transmitting that infection to multiple persons who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 as well as to other staff in a healthcare environment. Funeral operatives have been prioritised for vaccination in cohort two and staff will be eligible for prioritisation if they carry out functions which require them to have contact with multiple vulnerable patients in a healthcare setting and at a high risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to February 2021 research into the risks of aerosolisation of SARS-CoV-2 from oxygen delivery systems and coughing, if he will review the NHS infection prevention and control guidance and expand the situations in which an FFP3 mask should be used by workers.

Jo Churchill: The United Kingdom-wide Infection Prevention Control (IPC) Cell recently reviewed the evidence in relation to the transmission route for COVID-19 and the IPC precautions required and agreed that no changes to the current personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements were needed. PPE, including FFP3 masks should continue to be worn in line with the current IPC guidance.Emerging evidence and data are continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance will be amended accordingly if needed.

Vaccination: Expenditure

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2018 to Question 129353, how much was spent in total on vaccination programmes in each of the last five years; and what the total expenditure on each individual vaccine programme was during that time period.

Jo Churchill: The following table shows expenditure on adult and childhood vaccines in each of the last five years. 2015/16 £’0002016/17 £’0002017/18 £’0002018/19 £’000Annual vaccine expenditure364,831391,470393,754396,938Source: Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report and Accounts – Notes to the Accounts 12. Inventories and work in progressData on annual expenditure for each vaccine programme is not held centrally.

Vaccination: Expenditure

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Green Book routine immunisation schedule, how many of each vaccine has been administered in each of the last five years; and what the annual expenditure has been on each vaccine.

Jo Churchill: This information is not held in the format requested.

Coronavirus: Ethnic Groups

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of people being treated in hospital for covid-19 identify as BAME in (a) Southwark, (b) London and (c) the UK.

Jo Churchill: Public Health England publishes ethnicity data for hospitalisations and those in critical care at a national level as part of the combined weekly flu and COVID-19 surveillance report. The latest data available to 4 February 2021, is attached. Data is not available at regional or local authority level.Hospital Admissions by Ethnicity (xlsx, 28.2KB)

General Practitioners: Yorkshire and the Humber

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which GP surgeries were in operation in Yorkshire as of 2020.

Jo Churchill: The information is not held in the format requested. Data is collected by National Health Service region only.

Dental Services: Contracts

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS dental contract holders delivered 45 per cent or more of their historic activity levels in each of the last three months for which figures are available.

Jo Churchill: This data is not currently available in the format requested.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 2020 Spending Review, what additional resources he plans to allocate to the NHS to clear the backlog of cancer treatments as a result of the response by the NHS to the covid-19 outbreak; and whether his Department has plans to publish a detailed cancer strategy once that outbreak has concluded.

Jo Churchill: In August 2020, the National Health Service announced a £160 million initiative to extend access to ‘COVID-19 friendly’ cancer treatments and in October £150 million funding was provided to expand diagnostic capacity. A further £325 million for diagnostic equipment was announced in November’s Spending Review. Cancer patients continue to be prioritised within the additional £1 billion announced within Spending Review 2020 to tackle the elective backlog.NHS England’s Cancer Recovery Plan sets out the aims and actions needed to recover from the impact of COVID-19, while the NHS Long Term Plan remains the detailed strategy for cancer services and will continue to apply after the pandemic.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of standard treatments for problem gambling among women.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the need for a prevalence survey on levels of problem gambling among women.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Long Term Plan announced the creation of up to 15 specialist gambling clinics by 2023/24. Work continues on the phased expansion of these services, enabling the National Health Service to explore how best to use existing treatment models to reach those most in need of support.The Department commissioned Public Health England to undertake the first ever comprehensive evidence review focussed on gambling-related harm. The review will look at the prevalence, determinants and harms associated with gambling, alongside the social and economic burden of gambling-related harms. This includes reviewing the evidence on young people, men and women. The review will be published later this year.Alongside this, the National Institute of Health Research commissioned a research unit in Sheffield University to undertake a mapping review of the effectiveness of national and international policies and interventions to reduce gambling-related harms.

Breast Cancer: Complementary Medicine

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the recommendation 46 of the Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer 2015-2020, what progress his Department has made on ensuring all metastatic breast cancer patients receive holistic needs assessments.

Jo Churchill: The NHS Long Term Plan, set a clear ambition that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer, including those with secondary cancers, should have access to personalised care by 2021, which includes the holistic needs assessment.The latest public data from December 2019 show that 94% of trusts offered personalised care and supporting planning for breast cancer patients.

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the efficacy has been of the seasonal flu vaccine, in percentage terms, for people in receipt of it aged 65 and over, in terms of (a) preventing infection, (b) preventing hospitalisation of people infected after receiving the vaccine and (c) preventing influenza being listed as the cause of death for people infected after receiving the vaccination, in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: Data on the efficacy of the flu vaccine are not available in the format requested.Public Health England monitors the effectiveness of influenza vaccines each year against all the influenza strains in circulation. Vaccine effectiveness varies from one season to the next. Overall effectiveness has been estimated at between 30-60%. Vaccine effectiveness for each flu season is published in the Annual Flu Report, available from winter 2012/13 is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-flu-reports

NHS: Protective Clothing

Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) potential merits and (b) feasibility of providing FFP3 face masks to all front line NHS staff.

Jo Churchill: The recommendations on what personal protective equipment (PPE) is required in which settings, including the use of FFP3 masks, is set out in ‘COVID-19: infection prevention and control (IPC)’, which was last updated on 21 January 2021. These recommendations are agreed by an expert group of clinicians and scientists from across the United Kingdom and are consistent with World Health Organization guidance. Due to the identification of new COVID-19 variants, the UK Infection Prevention Control Cell conducted a comprehensive review and assessed the available evidence in order to inform any necessary changes to the guidance for health workers in England including recommended levels of PPE. Based on the evidence, they concluded that current guidance and PPE recommendations remain appropriate. Emerging evidence and data on variant strains will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance amended accordingly if needed.

Hormone Replacement Therapy: Shortages

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in (a) Camberwell and Peckham constituency, (b) the London Borough of Southwark, (c) London and (d) England have had their supply of Hormone Replacement Therapy medicines interrupted by ongoing shortages.

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the adequate provision for patients of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

Jo Churchill: This information is not held centrally.The Department is aware of supply issues that have affected some hormone replacement therapy (HRT) preparations for various reasons. While a very limited number of HRT products are currently affected, most, including alternatives to those experiencing supply issues are available. We continue to work closely with all suppliers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible and maintain overall supply to patients across the United Kingdom. We have shared regular updates about these issues and management advice to the National Health Service and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists.

Gambling: Rehabilitation

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the availability of specialist treatment services for gambling disorders.

Jo Churchill: The National Health Service remains on track to deliver the expansion of specialist treatment services for those individuals addicted to gambling. The existing gambling clinics have remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a combination of remote and face to face treatment, where safe to do so.

Electronic Cigarettes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that people using vapes don't start using cigarettes.

Jo Churchill: The Government is clear that e-cigarettes should only be used by smokers to support their route to quitting smoking.In the current Tobacco Control Plan for England, the Government commissioned Public Health England to publish annual updates on the evidence on e-cigarettes, including on their patterns of use. Their latest report, published in March 2020, found no evidence that vaping among adults leads them to start smoking and little evidence that increases in vaping among young people leads to increases in smoking. The report is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaping-in-england-evidence-update-march-2020

Protective Clothing: Standards

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) suitability of personal protective equipment tested to FFP1, 2 and 3 standards.

Jo Churchill: All personal protective equipment (PPE) must undergo vigorous checks to ensure they meet the safety and quality required, as per the published technical specification for PPE on GOV.UK. By December 2020, we had established a four-month stockpile of all COVID-19 critical PPE. We are confident that we have secured enough supply for this winter period and that we have the processes and logistics in place to distribute PPE to where it is needed. The recommendations on what PPE is required in which settings, is set out in the ‘COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control’ (IPC) guidance, which was last updated on 21 January 2021. This guidance does not include the use of FFP1 masks and these are not distributed by the Department. These recommendations are agreed by an expert group of clinicians and scientists from across all four nations of the United Kingdom. They are consistent with World Health Organization guidance, are based on the latest clinical evidence and are kept under constant review.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the personal protective equipment currently provided to NHS staff provides effective protection against new variants of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: Following the identification of new COVID-19 variants, the United Kingdom Infection Prevention Control Cell conducted a comprehensive review of available evidence to inform any necessary changes to the guidance for health workers in England including recommended levels of personal protective equipment (PPE). Based on the evidence, they concluded that current guidance and PPE recommendations remain appropriate. Emerging evidence and data on variant strains will be continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance amended accordingly if and when needed.

Gambling: Females

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect of online treatment on removing barriers to treatment for women suffering from gambling disorder.

Jo Churchill: No specific assessment has been made.

Cancer: Health Services

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cancer treatment referrals were made (a) from 1 October 2019 to 31 December 2019 and (b) from 1 October 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Jo Churchill: The information requested is shown in the following table: PeriodNumber of two week wait From general practitioner urgent referral to first consultant appointments1 October 2019 to 31 December 2019609,6131 October 2020 to 31 December 2020609,826 Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Drugs: UK Trade with EU

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking as a result of new customs arrangements to ensure that (a) the sight-preserving eye drops atropine and (b) other medicines sourced inside the EU are able to reach patients and clinical trial participants in the UK.

Jo Churchill: Our priority is to ensure that patients continue to have access to the medicines and clinical trial supplies they need, including eye medicines such as atropine. We continue to work closely with the pharmaceutical industry, sponsors of clinical trials, the National Health Service, and others in the supply chain to deliver the shared goal of continuity of safe patient care under all circumstances.The Department wrote to all suppliers of medicines and medical products, including sponsors of clinical trials, coming to the United Kingdom from or via the European Union on 17 November 2020. The letter sets out how we are continuing to work with suppliers and sponsors to deliver our multi-layered approach to mitigate any potential disruption to supply of medicines into the UK, including supplies for clinical trials, now that the UK has left the EU Single Market and Customs Union.The letter is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-17-november-2020

Pancreatic Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in each of the last three years.

Jo Churchill: The number of people in England diagnosed with pancreatic cancer was 8,688 in 2016, 8,980 in 2017 and 8,885 in 2018, which is the most recent data available.

Care Homes: Vaccination

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of giving priority vaccines to adults who are cared for at home and their carers alongside adults resident in a care home and care workers.

Jo Churchill: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccines the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level.  For the first phase, the JCVI have advised that the vaccine be given to care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors. If a person is cared for at home and falls under the criteria for prioritisation in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, they will be vaccinated according to their priority group; this includes those considered clinically extremely vulnerable and those considered to be ‘adults at risk’. Those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill should also be offered vaccination in priority group six.

Medical Records: Immigrants

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the personal data of those seeking access to NHS services is shared with immigration enforcement authorities.

Edward Argar: National Health Service trusts may contact the Home Office in relation to overseas visitors who are presenting or have presented for NHS secondary care treatment for the following two purposes:- To complete an immigration status check through the Home Office Evidence and Enquiry service, where the trust is unable to establish this by any other means and this information is relevant to establishing a person’s entitlement to free secondary care; and - To notify the Home Office of individuals subject to immigration control with debts of £500 or more that have been outstanding for two or more months. In doing so they must follow strict processes, set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s guidance.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to extend access to covid-19 vaccinations to adults without indefinite right to remain status.

Nadhim Zahawi: Vaccination against COVID-19 is a primary care service and is free to all overseas visitors to England, including anyone living in the United Kingdom without permission. It is not, therefore, within scope of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015. As no charges apply, immigration status checks are not required in order to assess eligibility. This message has been shared with the public through the NHS website and Public Health England’s Migrant Health Guide.

NHS: Durham

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what NHS facilities in the Durham county council area are under PFI contracts; and what the (a)(i) start and (ii) end date is and (b) other terms and conditions are of those contracts.

Edward Argar: HM Treasury and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) publish a joint dataset listing all active Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects, including those held by the National Health Service. This data includes the dates when each PFI contract was signed and began operations, the length of the contract and annual Unitary Charge payments.NHS PFI contracts are held directly by individuals NHS trusts and foundation trusts, not the Department. The latest HM Treasury/IPA data on PFI contracts was published in May 2019 and is available on GOV.UK at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2018-summary-data

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all evidence, minutes and documents relating to the decision not to implement Pfizer's recommendation that the two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine be administered within three weeks.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the scientific basis was to inform the decision that one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine produces enough neutralising antibodies to protect against the covid-19 virus and reduce transmission.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the validity of the British Medical Association’s reported concerns on the 12-week wait for the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the data that indicates that two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine are still effective when administered 12 weeks apart.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine when there is a three-week gap between the first and second dose.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine when there is a six-week gap between the first and second dose.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the Pfizer/BioNTech covid-19 vaccine when there is a 12-week gap between the first and second dose.

Claudia Webbe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report, Optimising the COVID-19 vaccination programme for maximum short-term impact , updated on 26 January 2021, if he will publish a specific timeframe for the short-term vaccine efficacy referred to in that report.

Nadhim Zahawi: A phase three clinical trial study on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine efficacy demonstrated a two-dose vaccine efficacy of 95% with a second dose delivered between 19 and 42 days.Using data available from this study, Public Health England estimated that short term vaccine efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be approximately 89%. This is the efficacy calculated 15 to 21 days after the first dose. The estimate for 15 to 28 days is 91% which includes the seven days after the second dose and is prior to the time protection may be expected from the second dose.There is no estimate of efficacy for a single dose beyond 21 days. Given the data available, evidence on the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and from the use of many other non-COVID-19 vaccines, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises a maximum interval between the first and second doses of 12 weeks. The use of ‘short-term’ in this report refers to the impact of the programme over the first months of the programme. Further information on the estimates of efficacy of one dose is available in the JCVI’s statement on 31 December which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prioritising-the-first-covid-19-vaccine-dose-jcvi-statement/optimising-the-covid-19-vaccination-programme-for-maximum-short-term-impactThe British Medical Association have questioned the decision to use an extended schedule for COVID-19 vaccines. Data on the AstraZeneca vaccine indicate better immune responses from the second dose with an extended schedule and that protection is maintained over a twelve-week period.The JCVI is of the view that the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is likely to provide protection for at least 12 weeks.There is no evidence to indicate a correlation between the presence of neutralising antibodies and a vaccine effect on transmission.The JCVI aims to publish background documents to its meetings. However many of these relating to vaccine efficacy were provided to the committee in confidence or under a non-disclosure agreement and cannot be published by the JCVI. Evidence on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy will be published by the relevant industry groups, usually in peer reviewed journals.

NHS: Surgery

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Spending Review 2020, what progress has he made on disbursing the additional £1 billion of funding to tackle the elective backlog in the NHS.

Edward Argar: Arrangements for distributing the funding are still under consideration as the National Health Service continues to work through the current COVID-19 surge.

Department for Education

Remote Education: ICT

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) laptops and tablets and (b) 4G wireless routers have been delivered to (i) schools, (ii) local authorities and (iii) academy trusts as of 28 January 2021.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with regards to the remote education support scheme being offered by mobile phone networks in partnership with the Department for Education, how many pupils are receiving the support offered by (a) EE, (b) O2, (c) Sky Mobile, (d) SMARTY, (e) Tesco Mobile, (f) Three, (g) Virgin Mobile, (f) Vodafone as of 28th January 2021.

Nick Gibb: The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people.As of 8 February 2021, over 986,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities, and further education providers.Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, trusts or local authorities who can lend these to children and young people who need them most, during the current COVID-19 restrictions.The Government is providing this significant injection of devices on top of an estimated 2.9 million laptops and tablets already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.Figures on the number of devices already delivered is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data/2021-week-6. These figures are broken down by local authority and academy trust.The Department have already provided over 63,000 4G wireless routers, with free data for the academic year, and continue to provide 4G wireless routers where children need to access remote education. Data regarding the number of routers delivered is also published at the site above.To support access to the internet, the Department have partnered with the UK’s leading mobile operators to provide free data to help disadvantaged children get online as well as delivering 4G wireless routers for pupils without connection at home.The Department are grateful to EE, O2, Sky Mobile, Smarty, Tesco Mobile, Three, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, BT Mobile and Lycamobile for supporting this offer. We are continuing to invite a range of mobile network providers to support the offer. Data regarding the number of pupils receiving free mobile data will be published shortly.

Schools: Coronavirus

Marco Longhi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has reduce the schools' six week summer break to four weeks, to allow school children to receive additional classroom-based education.

Nick Gibb: Despite restrictions to schools for the majority of pupils, teachers and school staff are working extremely hard to give face-to-face education to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers. In addition, schools are offering robust remote learning for those who are not attending in person.On 3 February 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, confirmed the appointment of Sir Kevan Collins as the Education Recovery Commissioner. He will advise on the approach for education recovery, with a particular focus on helping students catch up on learning lost because of the COVID-19 outbreak.The Department will be working in collaboration with the education sector to develop short, medium and long-term plans to make sure children and young people have the chance to make up their learning over the course of this Parliament, further details will be made available in due course.

Remote Education: ICT

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what methodology his Department uses to calculate the allocation of devices to schools to facilitate remote working.

Nick Gibb: The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people.The laptops and tablets are an injection of support to help schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts, and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.The Department has based allocations on estimates of the need of disadvantaged children in Years 3 to 11 using data on the number of pupils eligible for Free School Meals data and external estimates of the number of devices that schools already own.We have extended support to disadvantaged 16-to-19 year olds, including those in further education. Schools with sixth forms, colleges and other further education institutions are being invited to order laptops and tablets to further support disadvantaged students to access remote education.Where schools need additional devices, in order to support disadvantaged children, they should contact the Department’s service team at covid.technology@education.gov.uk. They should include the number of children who require support and an explanation of how they’ve gathered this evidence.

Remote Education: Computer Software

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria the Department used to include (a) Microsoft and (b) Google but not other commonly used platforms in its list of suggested providers in the Constituency framework: education and childcare setting (excluding universities) guidance.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what framework he used to determine which digital platforms are included in the Department’s Constituency framework: education and childcare setting (excluding universities) guidance.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he made of the potential merits of different platforms prior to including (a) Microsoft and (b) Google and not other commonly used platforms in the Constituency framework: education and childcare setting (excluding universities) guidance.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the list of suggested digital education platforms in the Constituency framework: education and childcare setting (excluding universities) guidance includes the full range of common platforms used by schools beyond Microsoft and Google.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse has been of technical support to help schools set up accounts for Google and Microsoft during lockdown; and (b) how much funding is left for that purpose.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to increase the funding for technical support to enable schools to access remote education platforms.

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the geographic variation in the uptake of funding to help schools set up remote learning platforms.

Nick Gibb: The Department is currently working with Google and Microsoft providers to deliver the Digital Education Platforms programme. The programme provides Government funded support for schools and colleges to get set up on one of two free to use digital platforms, which includes G Suite for Education (Google Classroom), and Office 365 Education (Microsoft Teams).The funding covers the technical set up of the platform including all staff, pupil and student accounts.Support is available to state funded:primary schoolssecondary schoolsspecial schoolspupil referral unitsfurther education collegessixth-form collegesThe funded support is for schools and colleges that:do not have a digital education platformhave access to Office 365 Education or G Suite for Education, but are not yet set up to assign work and communicate with pupils and studentsThe Microsoft and Google platforms were chosen as they are free to use to the education sector and had the unified technology and support to set up and deliver effective remote education provision.Google and Microsoft also offer several features and functionalities that are suitable for school needs.As of 1 February 2021, £4.8 million has been spent out of a programme budget of £14.23 million, leaving £9.43 million of remaining funding.The numbers of schools applying to the programme by RSC region is as follows:South East England and South London: 968North West London and South Central: 937Lancashire and West Yorkshire: 851East Midlands and the Humber: 579West Midlands: 525South West England: 519East of England and North East:481North of England: 273The Department wants to ensure all schools are set up with a remote learning platform and are keeping this under constant review.

Remote Education: Greater London

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) laptops, (b) devices and (c) tablets his Department has provided to schools under the Get help with technology during coronavirus scheme in (i) London, (ii) Lambeth and (iii) Streatham since March 2020.

Nick Gibb: The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. This significant injection of laptops and tablets is on top of an estimated 2.9 million already owned by schools before the start of the outbreak.The laptops and tablets are to help support schools, academy trusts and local authorities to provide access to remote education and online social care. Schools, colleges, academy trusts and local authorities are responsible for distributing the laptops and tablets and are best placed to know which children and young people need access to a device.As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 980,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data.

Remote Education: Southwark

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many devices for remote learning were provided in 2020 to (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in (i) Camberwell and Peckham and (ii) Southwark; and what types of devices have been provided.

Nick Gibb: The Government is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets for disadvantaged children and young people. As of Monday 8 February 2021, over 980,000 laptops and tablets have been delivered to schools, trusts, local authorities and further education providers.Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, academy trusts, local authorities or further education providers who can lend these to the children and young people who need them most, during the current COVID-19 restrictions. Device types include Microsoft Windows laptops, Microsoft Windows tablets, Google Chromebooks and Apple iPads. The specification of the devices can be viewed through the following link: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/devices/device-specification.The Government is providing this significant injection of devices on top of an estimated 2.9 million laptops and tablets already owned by schools before the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.More information on the number of devices delivered to schools, trusts and local authorities, can be viewed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/laptops-and-tablets-data. Figures by Parliamentary constituency are not available.Where schools need additional devices, in order to support disadvantaged children, they should contact the Department for Education’s service team at: covid.technology@education.gov.uk. They should include the number of pupils in Years 3 to 13 who require support and an explanation of how they have gathered this evidence.

Higher Education: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he made of salary levels in London in deciding that London weighting should be removed from the higher education teaching grant; and if he will make a statement.

Michelle Donelan: On 8 February 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to the Office for Students (OfS) to set out his priorities for the forthcoming year. This letter can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/48277145-4cf3-497f-b9b7-b13fdf16f46b/ofs-strategic-guidance-20210208.pdf.One of these priorities is to change the name of the Teaching Grant to the Strategic Priorities Grant. This is to ensure the name of this funding reflects its important role in supporting providers and students to develop the skills and knowledge needed locally, regionally and nationally, to support the economy.The Strategic Priorities grant will be reformed for the 2021/22 financial year to ensure that more of taxpayers’ money is spent on supporting higher education (HE) provision which aligns with national priorities, such as healthcare, STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and subjects meeting specific labour market needs.London weighting funding is a small proportion of the overall income of providers and it is right for the government to re-allocate public money where it is most needed. Universities should not receive additional investment for teaching simply because of where they are located. Excellent provision can be delivered across the country.London already has, on average, the highest percentage of good or outstanding schools, the highest progression to HE, and more HE providers than any other region in England. This reform will invest more money directly into high quality institutions in the Midlands and the North.The analysis we offer at this stage, as presented in the annex to the letter to the Office for Students (OfS), gives a broad indication of the impact of the changes to aid understanding. This letter can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/a3814453-4c28-404a-bf76-490183867d9a/rt-hon-gavin-williamson-cbe-mp-t-grant-ofs-chair-smb.pdf.The OfS will consult on these changes shortly, before final allocations for the 2021/22 financial year are confirmed and will carefully consider the impact of any changes on providers.We are also making available an additional £50 million of hardship funding this financial year. In total we have made £70 million of funding available for student hardship given the £20 million made available to higher education providers in December. Providers will have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to students, in a way that will best prioritise those in greatest need.This money is in addition to the £256 million of Student Premium funding higher education providers are able draw on this academic year towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment, and mental health support, as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans.Furthermore, we have asked the OfS to allocate £15 million towards student mental health in 2021/2022 through the proposed reforms to Strategic Priorities grant funding, to help address the challenges to student mental health posed by the transition to university, given the increasing demand for mental health services. This will target those students in greatest need of such services, including vulnerable groups and hard-to-reach students.The OfS has also been asked to allocate £5 million to providers in order to provide additional support for student hardship. This is to mitigate the rise in student hardship due to COVID-19 impacts on the labour market which particularly affect, for example, students relying on work to fund their studies, students whose parents have lost income and students who are parents and whose partner's income has been affected.We have also asked the OfS for a £10 million increase to the specialist provider allocation, to support these institutions which are particularly reliant on Strategic Priorities Grant funding, many of whom are London-based. We want to ensure that our small and specialist providers, including some of our top music and arts providers, receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to effectively support students.

Education: Coronavirus

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2021 to Question 131337 on Students: Coronavirus, what the terms of reference are for the group monitoring and advising on lost and differential learning due to the covid-19 outbreak; when the members were appointed to that group; if he will publish the membership of that group; how many times that group plans to meet; and when that group plans to report.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises that school closures have had a significant impact on the education of young people across the country, and that disruption will have been felt differently by individual students, depending on their circumstances. We will work in collaboration with the wider education sector to develop a long-term plan to make sure children and young people have the chance to make up their education over the course of this Parliament. Sir Kevan Collins, in his role as Education Recovery Commissioner, will work with Government and the Department’s stakeholders on assessing and addressing the impact of differential learning loss for students.To support students to catch up with their education, the Government has announced a catch-up package worth £1 billion to support children and young people. This includes a ‘Catch up Premium’ worth £650 million and a £350 million National Tutoring Programme for disadvantaged pupils. The Department has also announced that we will provide a further programme of catch up. This will involve a further £300 million for early years, schools and colleges for tutoring and we will work in collaboration with the education sector to develop specific initiatives for summer schools and a COVID Premium to support catch up.

Universities: Greater London

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed removal of London Weighting from the Teaching Grant on the number of students able to afford university.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his has Department made of the effect of removing the London weighting from university grants on the quality of university teaching and facilities.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reduction in funding will be to (a) London universities and (b) the University of London from the proposed removal of London Weighting from the Teaching Grant.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the proposed removal of London Weighting from the Teaching Grant on (a) disadvantaged students and (b) BAME students.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed removal of London Weighting from the Teaching Grant on university rent fees for students.

Michelle Donelan: On 8 February 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, wrote to the Office for Students (OfS) to set out his priorities for the forthcoming year. This letter can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/48277145-4cf3-497f-b9b7-b13fdf16f46b/ofs-strategic-guidance-20210208.pdf.One of these priorities is to change the name of the Teaching Grant to the Strategic Priorities Grant. This is to ensure the name of this funding reflects its important role in supporting providers and students to develop the skills and knowledge needed locally, regionally, and nationally to support the economy.The Strategic Priorities Grant will be reformed for the 2021/22 financial year to ensure that more of taxpayers’ money is spent on supporting higher education (HE) provision which aligns with national priorities, such as healthcare, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and subjects meeting specific labour market needs.London weighting funding is a small proportion of the overall income of providers and it is right for the government to re-allocate public money where it is most needed. Universities should not receive additional investment for teaching simply because of where they are located. Excellent provision can be delivered across the country.London already has, on average, the highest percentage of good or outstanding schools, the highest progression to HE, and more HE providers than any other region in England. This reform will invest more money directly into high quality institutions in the Midlands and the North.The analysis we offer at this stage, as presented in the annex to the letter to the Office for Students (OfS), gives a broad indication of the impact of the changes to aid understanding. This letter can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/a3814453-4c28-404a-bf76-490183867d9a/rt-hon-gavin-williamson-cbe-mp-t-grant-ofs-chair-smb.pdf.The OfS will consult on these changes shortly, before final allocations for the 2021/22 financial year are confirmed and will carefully consider the impact of any changes on providers.We are also making available an additional £50 million of hardship funding this financial year. In total we have made £70 million of funding available for student hardship, given the £20 million made available to HE providers in December. Providers will have flexibility in how they distribute the funding to students, in a way that will best prioritise those in greatest need.This money is in addition to the £256 million of Student Premium funding that HE providers are able draw on this academic year towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment, and mental health support, as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans.Furthermore, we have asked the OfS to allocate £15 million towards student mental health in 2021/2022 through the proposed reforms to Strategic Priorities grant funding, to help address the challenges to student mental health posed by the transition to university, given the increasing demand for mental health services. This will target those students in greatest need of such services, including vulnerable groups and hard-to-reach students.The OfS has also been asked to allocate £5 million to providers in order to provide additional support for student hardship. This is to mitigate the rise in student hardship due to the COVID-19 impacts on the labour market which particularly affect, for example, students relying on work to fund their studies, students whose parents have lost income and students who are parents and whose partner's income has been affected.We have also asked the OfS for a £10 million increase to the specialist provider allocation, to support these institutions which are particularly reliant on Strategic Priorities Grant funding, many of whom are London-based. We want to ensure that our small and specialist providers, including some of our top music and arts providers, receive additional support, and that grant funding is used to effectively support students.

Children: Day Care

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending 15 hours of free childcare to one-year olds.

Vicky Ford: All three and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare each week, providing children with high-quality early education and helping parents to return to work. The government currently has no plans to extend these schemes.A small number of two-year-olds are also able to access up to 15 hours of free childcare each week. The core purpose of the two-year-old entitlement is to provide a developmental boost to disadvantaged children from low-income families who are less likely to use formal childcare, but who stand to benefit from it the most. Whilst the entitlement provides some practical support with the cost of childcare, this is not its purpose, with the primary focus of the entitlement remaining improving outcomes for children.The 2012 effective pre-school, primary and secondary education study in England and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development analysis of international Programme for International Student Assessment data both found no additional child development benefits of starting in childcare under the age of two.In addition to the free early education entitlements, the government offers tax-free childcare for children from 0 to 11 years old, or up to 16 if disabled. This scheme means that for every £8 parents pay their provider via an online account, the government will pay £2, up to a maximum contribution of £2,000 per child each year, or £4,000 if disabled.Working parents on a low income may also be eligible for help with up to 85% of their childcare costs through Universal Credit childcare. This is subject to a monthly limit of £646 for one child or £1108 for two or more children, payable in arrears.

Schools: Cambridgeshire

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much additional funding for costs arising from the covid-19 outbreak has been made available to schools in Cambridgeshire during the 2020-21 academic year.

Nick Gibb: The first window for schools to claim funding back for exceptional costs due to COVID-19 incurred between March and July 2020 closed on 21 July 2020. Payments against claims made within the scope of the fund were made for schools and academies in September and November 2020.In the first window, claims were also permitted for costs outside of the published scope of the fund. After a period of assessment, it was decided that the Department would not reimburse costs made outside of the standard categories.A second claims window, covering the same period for the standard categories but with the additional category of summer holiday food, closed on 22 December 2020. Claims made in this window are due to be paid in March 2021.The data in the following table shows the total value of claims made by schools in Cambridgeshire. The table also shows the value of payments made against these payments to date, the amount due to be paid, and the total amount of funding the Department will have paid to schools in Cambridgeshire following the payment of claims made in the second window. Value of claims receivedValue of claims paidValue of claims due to be paid in MarchTotal value of fundingCambridgeshire£1,899,769£1,201,730£448,733£1,650,463

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Japan

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the benefit of the data chapter in the UK-Japan free trade agreement to UK GDP; and if she will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) does not contain a bespoke data chapter; data provisions sit within the E-Commerce section under Chapter 8 of the Agreement. The CEPA E-Commerce provisions go further than the existing EU-Japan agreement on many aspects of digital trade with a number of cutting-edge rules that reflect the status of the UK and Japan as digital leaders. Examples of CEPA provisions that were not included in the EU-Japan agreement include an agreement to avoid unjustified restrictions on the flow of data between the UK and Japan, a commitment to uphold world-leading standards of protection for individuals’ personal data, a commitment to uphold the principles of net neutrality, and a ban on unjustified data localisation. Many of the new E-Commerce provisions in CEPA on digital and data are likely to have a positive economic impact. Digitally delivered trade accounted for around one third of trade between the UK and Japan in 2019. Digital and data provisions are cross cutting, thereby supporting the whole of UK trade with Japan.

TRIPS Agreement

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish statements made by the Government related to the proposed TRIPS Waiver at the World Trade Organisation TRIPS Council Meeting on 4 February 2021.

Greg Hands: The UK has engaged regularly in debates at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) TRIPS Council and other international institutions to promote affordable and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines, including in developing countries. We respect the informal format of WTO discussions and do not publish proceedings from those meetings. However, at the informal TRIPS Council on 4 February 2021, the UK sought to further understand the parameters of the proposed waiver and asked for clarifications from the waiver’s proponents. This remains consistent with the Government’s approach to encourage evidence-based discussions between WTO Members to find solutions to present issues within the multilateral intellectual property framework.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Palestinians: Remote Education

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms are in place to monitor self-learning educational materials distributed by the UN Relief and Works Agency to Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza.

James Cleverly: The UK Government has zero tolerance to incitement of violence, and we have raised this issue with UNRWA. FCDO monitors UNRWA's performance via programme monitoring and annual assessments to ensure it continues to deliver quality services.We contacted UNRWA directly regarding this issue and understand that as soon as the mistake was identified, UNRWA took swift action to correct the issue and conducted a thorough review to identify and address any education materials in breach of its policies.We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.

Overseas Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2021 to Question 144797 on Overseas Aid, whether that internal planning will be completed by the start of the 2021-22 financial year.

James Cleverly: We are working through our internal business planning process. No decisions have yet been made on individual budget allocations for 2020/21.

Myanmar: CDC

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to review or suspend CDC investments in Myanmar as a result of the military coup in that country.

Nigel Adams: CDC has no investments in military or state-owned companies in Myanmar and does not directly work with or partner with the government. Over the past two years, CDC has tightened its due diligence process to mitigate the risk of UK funds going to military owned companies.CDC is reviewing the impact of the 1st February Myanmar coup on its investments in the country.

Palestinians: Remote Education

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK Government is conducting an investigation into reports that the UN Relief and Works Agency distributed educational material to Palestinian children allegedly inciting violence against Israel during the covid-19 pandemic to aid home learning; and if he will make a statement.

James Cleverly: The UK Government has zero tolerance towards incitement of violence and we have raised this issue with UNRWA.UNRWA informed us that they had identified the material in question through their own regular monitoring and took swift action to correct the issue. The Agency also conducted a review to identify and address any education materials in breach of its policies. UNRWA has reported that these materials are no longer circulated and are not used in current lessons.We continue to monitor the situation to ensure self-learning materials remain in line with UN values.

British Nationals Abroad: Travel Restrictions

Nickie Aiken: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) EU and (b) other international counterparts on the relaxation of visa term limits for UK citizens abroad while global travel restrictions remain in place due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Wendy Morton: The current advice for those across the UK remains to stay at home and not travel abroad unless it is for a legally permitted reason. Our advice to British nationals abroad is that they should follow the public health advice of the country which they are in, including current COVID-19 restrictions. Other countries maintain their own visa regimes. Requirements for stays beyond visa or visa free periods are subject to national procedures for each country. Any queries on applicable regimes are for the relevant immigration authorities in that country.If a British national overseas requires consular assistance, the FCDO can be contacted by phone or email 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The kind of assistance we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case. Ministers raise specific issues of concern affecting British nationals overseas as appropriate. As of 1 January 2021, British Citizens do not need a visa when travelling to the EU for visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism and similar activities.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on global equality of access to the covid-19 vaccines in the event that the proposed WTO TRIPS Waiver is not adopted.

Wendy Morton: The UK is committed to rapid equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, and is playing a leading role in financing the global effort, and identifying solutions that ensure affordable access for all.The UK Government does not consider waiving intellectual property (IP) rights to be an appropriate course of action in boosting the manufacturing of safe, effective, and quality vaccines. The existing intellectual property framework has mobilised research and development to deliver a host of new medicines and technologies to detect, treat, and defend against COVID-19. The incentives and access mechanisms provided by the IP framework have been integral to this success, without which we would not have seen the impressive surge of research and development, and the unprecedented scaling up of production.

Department for Work and Pensions

Kickstart Scheme

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2021 to Question 140162, how many Kickstart jobs have been confirmed through grant agreements with the employer and uploaded as a vacancy through jobcentres.

Mims Davies: As of 04/02/2021 there were around 15,000 jobs uploaded to Job Centre Plus provision service.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pest Control: Advisory Services and Research

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing an independent advice and research facility for farmers and agronomists on best practice for adopting integrated pest management systems.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has been made of the potential merits of phasing out the use of amenity pesticides.

Victoria Prentis: Defra and the Devolved Administrations are currently consulting on the draft revised National Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Pesticides (the NAP). It outlines our intention to work with demonstration farms, agronomists and advisory services to support the development and uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The draft NAP also outlines how we plan to improve regulation, support the uptake of Integrated Pest Management including in the amenity sector, improve safe use, improve metrics, and review the governance and implementation of UK pesticides policy. Our strict regulation only allows the use of pesticides that are shown to meet high standards for the protection of people and the environment. Therefore, we currently have no plans to phase out amenity use of pesticides.

Pesticides: Health Hazards

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of long-term exposure to pesticides on the health of nearby residents as a result of spray drift from fields.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of long-term exposure to (a) pesticides (b) developmental toxins (c) neurotoxins and (d) carcinogens in cities on the health of residents.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of long-term exposure to pesticides on children in London.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory prior notification for the public for when pesticides are being sprayed near them.

Victoria Prentis: Pesticides are only authorised for use in situations where scientific assessment finds that this will not harm human health, including that of local residents and bystanders, and will not pose unacceptable risks to the environment. The assessment looks at potential risks to children and takes account of the setting in which the pesticide will be used. Those using pesticides are required to take all reasonable precautions to protect human health and the environment and to confine the application of the pesticide to the area intended to be treated. The Government operates a range of schemes which collect and analyse data on potential health impacts from pesticides. Biomonitoring studies have provided information on how actual exposure to pesticides compares with predictions. The draft UK National Action Plan, currently out for consultation, proposes that over the next five years, we will work with stakeholders to consider the potential for development of a human biomonitoring programme, to monitor exposure within the UK population to pesticides as well as other chemicals. Monitoring the long-term effects of exposure to pesticides and other chemicals is challenging. The Prospective Investigation of Pesticide Applicators’ Health collects long-term data on the health of certified pesticide users.  The Code of Practice for using plant protection products has a specific section on “Protecting the Public.” This deals with the assessments that must be made of any risks to the public before using pesticides, notification of adjacent occupiers before spraying and particular care that may be needed for especially vulnerable groups. The Government does not believe it is appropriate to introduce a statutory requirement for operators to provide advance notice of planned spray operations to members of the public.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's average response time is for enquiries from an hon. Member on behalf of constituents relating to the Animal Plant Health Agency.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency reply to Minister enquiries on behalf of constituents within 15 working days. In the event of a response not being available within 15 working days the requestor is informed of this in writing.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on the level of inquiries to the Animal Plant Health Agency of the post-transition period export process; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The increase in enquiries received by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) concerning export processes after the transition period are in line with expected volumes. Prior to the end of transition, APHA stress tested its services in order to prepare for an increase in enquiries. As a result, contingency measures including the recruitment of additional staff, were put in place to ensure there was sufficient capacity to accommodate an expected increase in demand. APHA regular monitors all its activities related to EU transition and looks to improve its services provided to exporters and other stakeholders continually.

Forests: Environment Protection

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish a timetable for implementing legislative proposals on the use of forest risk commodities in commercial activity.

Rebecca Pow: We recently introduced legislation to the Environment Bill to help to ensure that key forest risk commodities used in the UK are not contributing to illegal deforestation or habitat conversion. This initiative is in line with the recommendations of the Global Resource Initiative taskforce, widely supportive feedback to our public consultation on the proposal, as well as our international objectives at the upcoming Glasgow United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26).We are the first country to introduce such legislation. We intend to move swiftly to lay the necessary secondary legislation. Subject to the passage of the Environment Bill and consultation, our aim is to do so shortly after the November COP26 Climate conference where we will be convening a global dialogue on trade in forest and agricultural commodities that we will draw on as we finalise our approach.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a dedicated MP helpline to submit inquiries on exports and customs processes overseen by the  Animal Plant Health Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) provides a range of support on Export Health Certification and Phytosanitary Certification including a helpline and GOV.UK content for interested stakeholders. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides a similar service for customs related queries.A step-by-step guide for exporting from the UK can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/export-goods. For matters overseen by APHA, members of the public can contact exports@apha.gov.uk or 03000 200 301. There is a dedicated line for the Movement Assistance Scheme for all exports of live animals, products of animal origin, plants and plant products (agrifood goods) from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, which is 0330 0416 580.Defra has a dedicated process for MPs to raise queries and APHA follows this system.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Chris Loder: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of payments made by the Rural Payments Agency are received on time.

Victoria Prentis: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has a number of schemes which provide financial support to the rural economy. The three main land schemes, which offer an annual payment, are Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship (CS) and the Environmental Stewardship Scheme (ES). Famers submitting a valid claim under these schemes will normally receive a payment between 1 December and 30 June the following year. For 2019 we released by 30 June:o BPS 2019 – 84,225 (99.9%) payments worth £1.79bno CS 2019 – 10,899 (94.2%) worth £88.46mo ES 2019 – 12,020 (97.7%) worth £182.22m There are several reasons for why payments may be delayed beyond the 30 June such as ongoing discussions with claimants, the resolution of probate, or ongoing fraud investigations. Payments for 2020 claims began in December and are ongoing. The RPA delivered its best ever December payment performance, paying around 98% of BPS claims by the end of the year, despite the challenges caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Bees: Imports

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the level of restrictions facing British importers of bees (a) prior to and (b) after 1 January 2021.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) discussions he has had with devolved Administrations on addressing new restrictions for importers of bees after 1 January 2021.

Rebecca Pow: Prior to 1 January 2021, queen honey bees could be imported into Great Britain, along with packages and colonies of bees. Now that we are trading with the EU as a third country, queen bees can continue to be imported into Great Britain but not packages or colonies. In 2020, more than 21,000 queens were imported in contrast to just under 1,900 packages and 400 colonies of bees. Guidance on the new rules for importing bees was published prior to the end of the transition period. We are aware of concerns raised by some beekeepers and we continue to listen to beekeepers and their associations as part of our monitoring of the new trading arrangements. Regular discussions take place between Defra and colleagues in the Devolved Administrations working in this policy area. We are keeping the situation under review to ensure that there are suitable trading arrangements for the UK beekeeping sector.

Honey: Sales

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of measures to ensure that honey sold in the UK is not adulterated and bulked out with cheap sugar syrups.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of imports of cheap honey on British beekeepers.

Victoria Prentis: The UK is renowned for its high food safety and quality standards. We have robust rules in place on honey which set strict composition and labelling rules to protect consumers and ensure the authenticity of honey sold in the UK. The Honey (England) Regulations 2015 include detailed specifications for honey which ensure the quality of this important commodity is maintained whether it is produced domestically or imported into the UK. Responsibility for assessing business compliance with the majority of food legislation rests with local authorities. They will consider any areas of non-compliance with food law and take appropriate enforcement action in line with a hierarchy of enforcement powers to ensure the business takes the necessary steps to achieve compliance. Each situation will be judged on its own merits by the relevant local authority to determine the proportionate course of action. The UK is reliant on honey imports to meet consumer demand. Our national rules mean that all honey imports must meet the same high standards as that produced in the UK. Imports are regularly checked on import and at point of sale. This Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure consumer confidence is maintained and to deter those wishing to commit fraud in the honey supply chain.

Home Office

Human Trafficking

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the findings of the report by Women for Refugee Women After Exploitation entitled Survivors Behind Bars, published on 4 February 2021, that the detention of trafficking victims has increased since the introduction of the Adults at Risk policy in 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Government does not have an absolute exclusion from detention for any particular group. However, we fully accept that some groups of individuals can be at particular risk of harm in immigration detention. This is the basis of the Adults at Risk in immigration detention (AAR) policy, which strengthens the presumption against detention for vulnerable individuals. The policy covers a wider range of vulnerabilities and its introduction has enabled Home Office staff to promptly identify whether a person is vulnerable and consequently whether they should be detained. This allows for a more rounded assessment of such vulnerabilities in a detention setting, along with a balanced assessment of any immigration compliance, criminality factors and expected date of removal. The greater the evidence of vulnerability, the less likely it is that the individual will be detained. Additional safeguards are also in place which underpin detention decisions, including regular reviews to ensure detention remains lawful, appropriate and proportionate. All Home Office staff working in the detention system are also given training and support to identify and act upon indicators of vulnerability, including recognising victims of trafficking and modern slavery, at the earliest opportunity. If an individual is suspected to be a victim of trafficking, they will be referred into the National Referral Mechanism.

Home Office: Amazon Web Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of discount has been realised by her Department as part of the G-Cloud 12 Call-Off contract with Amazon Web Services in December 2020.

Kit Malthouse: This information is confidential and, in order to protect the commercial interests of the supplier, cannot be disclosed due to the commercially sensitive nature of the agreed discount structure.

Home Office: Amazon Web Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of liability was agreed with Amazon Web Services for the loss, destruction, corruption or degradation of data under the G-Cloud 12 Call-Off contract awarded in December 2020.

Kit Malthouse: This information is confidential and, in order to protect the commercial interests of the supplier, cannot be disclosed due to the commercially sensitive nature of the agreed levels of liability limits.

Home Office: Amazon Web Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the support services agreed upon as part of the G-Cloud 12 Call-Off contract awarded to Amazon Web Services in December 2020 will be provided solely from the UK.

Kit Malthouse: Amazon Web Services provide support from a number of UK based, security cleared resources that are based within the UK. These UK based security cleared staff work with our inhouse teams to develop, design and review AWS hosted services. For enterprise support during incidents or issues, AWS support is provided under a follow the sun approach from several geographical locations.AWS Support staff do not have direct access to any of our services and cannot access and data or systems.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Evictions: Coronavirus

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend the ban on evictions for the duration of the covid-19 lockdown announced in January 2021.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has announced that existing legislation will be extended to ensure that bailiffs do not serve eviction notices or carry out evictions except in the most serious circumstances, such as anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse in the social sector. This legislation will be in place up to the end of 31 March and will be kept under review.

Cabinet Office

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the (a) social value, (b) ethnic diversity and (c) gender diversity in the awarding of public sector contracts relating to the covid-19 response.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the process is for (a) identifying and (b) evaluating the capacity of companies being considered for contracts relating to the covid-19 response.

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will outline the steps taken by the Government to identify which parts of its response to the covid-19 outbreak should be outsourced to private companies.

Julia Lopez: This Government recognises that outsourcing is an important component in a “mixed economy” of public service provision and that the private sector has played a crucial role in the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including in relation to the development and procurement of the Government’s world-leading vaccine programme. Under the terms of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, departments and other public authorities are able to use various applicable procedures. Public authorities across the United Kingdom including the devolved administrations and local authorities have made use of direct awards - this includes Leeds City Council. Similar approaches were adopted by many other countries, including Japan, Finland and New Zealand. It is unrealistic to suggest that the government ought to have run a full public procurement competition for PPE and other critical contracts at the height of the pandemic. The minimum number of days a competitive award could take place under the current rules is 25 days. This would have hugely slowed down the buying of vital PPE supplies.Further to the Outsourcing Playbook, available on gov.uk, and as has been the case under successive administrations, public sector contracting authorities are responsible for their own commercial decisions, such as the award and monitoring of contracts. New commercial policy relating to the evaluation and delivery of social value outcomes through central government procurement did not come into force until 1 January 2021. It is therefore unlikely that a formal assessment of social value was made in relation to direct award contracts relating to the covid-19 response. Regarding cyber security, details of the Cyber Essentials scheme is available on gov.uk. The requested information on service credits is not held centrally.I note that the Hon Member has not yet replied to the letter by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster of 20 November 2020. As a courtesy, I will ensure that a further copy of the letter is sent to her office to ensure she has a chance to reply to the points raised.

Government Departments: Procurement

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the 26 November 2020 National Audit Office report on its investigation into Government procurement during the covid-19 pandemic, how the process of making referrals to the High Priority Lane for procurement was made known; what criteria were used for identifying those who should be informed of the High Priority Lane; and (c) who was informed of the High Priority Lane process.

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the findings of the Boardman Review published on 8 December 2020, what timetable the Government has in place for implementation of the review’s recommendations; and whether Ministers plan to provide regular updates on their progress to Parliament.

Julia Lopez: The Government has published on gov.uk a statement following press coverage regarding the NAO report.The process of implementing the Boardman recommendations began immediately, and the programme is being assured by the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee (COARC). We committed to provide an update on implementation six months after publication.

UK Relations with EU: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Afzal Khan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the recommendations of the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union's report entitled, The Shape of Future Parliamentary Scrutiny of UK-EU Relations, published on 14 January 2020, what steps his Department is taking to ensure effective future scrutiny of the UK-EU relationship.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government will be responding to the report in due course.The Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishes a set of committees to oversee its operation.We are committed to facilitating parliamentary scrutiny of our new relationship with the EU as we do with other international agreements.

Travel: Coronavirus

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether plans for international travel will be covered in the covid roadmap scheduled for 22 February 2021.

Penny Mordaunt: The Prime Minister has said that the Government will set out our plan for further reopening schools, and gradually the economy and society in England, in the week of 22 February. This overall plan is currently in development. By the week of 22 February, we will have a clearer picture of the data, including the impact that our current restrictions and vaccine programme is having on infections, hospital admissions and deaths.

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he provide ongoing financial support to the self-employed through the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme in the period between the end of the third grant in January 2021 and his budget statement on the fourth grant on 3 March 2021.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to supporting the self-employed population during the COVID-19 pandemic through a substantial package of support. The three Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants combined provided up to £21,570 of support for each individual, placing the SEISS among the most generous schemes for the self-employed in the world. As of 31 December, about 2.7 million individuals have made claims totalling over £18.9 billion so far across all three grants. The claims window for the third grant closed on 29 January 2021. Further details of the fourth grant, which will cover February to the end of April, will be announced alongside other economic updates at Budget in March. The SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed which includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

State Retirement Pensions

Luke Pollard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans amend his policies on the triple lock on state pensions.

Steve Barclay: Due to the unprecedented economic circumstances, average earnings fell last year. Under current legislation, this would mean a freeze to State Pensions. However, the Government took action by legislating to give the Government the ability to increase State Pension and Pension Credit rates for 2021/22. This enabled the Government to honour its manifesto commitment to the Triple Lock which uprates the State Pension each year by the highest of average earnings growth, price inflation and 2.5%. As announced by the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions on 25 November, the new State Pension and the basic State Pension will both be increased by 2.5% this April. As with all aspects of Government policy with major spending implications, any decisions on future changes to the Triple Lock will be taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances. Final decisions on uprating policy for pensions and welfare benefits are taken by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions through her annual uprating review.

Child Benefit: Coronavirus

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on increasing child benefit by £10 a week to ensure that families have enough money to meet the additional financial pressures of children and young people having to learn from home.

Steve Barclay: The Government is committed to managing the public finances in a disciplined and responsible way by targeting support where it is most needed. We will ensure benefits retain their value by guaranteeing that for the second consecutive year, Child Benefit will increase from April in line with CPI (0.5 per cent). The Government will continue to review levels of Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits alongside other benefits annually. As individuals anywhere on the income distribution are entitled to Child Benefit, increasing Child Benefit to support families who are struggling with additional financial pressures would be poorly targeted. The Government has provided additional support for disadvantaged children and young people during the pandemic, and is investing over £400 million to support access to remote education and online social care services, including securing 1.3 million laptops and tablets.

Cost of Living

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the cost of living for people experiencing economic hardship.

Steve Barclay: The Government has announced wide-ranging support for people at risk of experiencing economic hardship, including: income support schemes, mortgage holidays, extra support for renters, additional support through the welfare system worth £7.4 billion in 2020-21, a £500 million local authority hardship fund to help people with their council tax bills, a £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support families with the cost of food and bills, help with utility bills, and £500 payments to support low income individuals to self-isolate under NHS Test and Trace. As the Government has done throughout this crisis, we will continue to consider how best to support people as the public health and economic contexts develop.

Devolution: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to publish an eighth edition of the Statement of funding policy: funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly.

Steve Barclay: The eighth edition of the Statement of Funding Policy was published alongside Spending Review 2020 and can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/943689/Statement_of_Funding_Policy_2020.pdf

Weddings: Insurance

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the availability of insurance cover for the weddings industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

John Glen: The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector regarding its response to this unprecedented situation, and is encouraging insurers to do all they can to support customers during this difficult period. Insurers take commercial decisions regarding the products they offer and risks they cover based on their view of the likelihood of a risk occurring, and have cited the likelihood of COVID-19 risk crystallising as a challenge to insure. Different insurers may take a different view, therefore customers in the wedding sector are encouraged to shop around to seek the most suitable cover at the best price. The Government is committed to ensuring consumers have access to a range of financial products that suit their needs and is keeping this situation under review.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Travel Information

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) staffed and (b) unstaffed tourist information centres in England.

Nigel Huddleston: My Department has made no recent estimate of the number of staffed and unstaffed tourism information centres in England. Both my Department and VisitEngland remain in regular contact with regional tourism stakeholders around the country, for example through forums such as the Tourism Industry Council, which meets regularly.There are an estimated 150 Destination Management Organisations in England, though there are a number of other organisations that may manage tourist information centres.

Culture Recovery Fund

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many cultural organisations met all of the criteria for funding from the Culture Recovery Fund but were not awarded that funding as a result of an oversubscription for those grants in their area.

Caroline Dinenage: For the first round of the Culture Recovery Fund, in order to deliver the fund in time to support the sector, the Arts Council delegated fixed budgets to regional assessment panels to make decisions on the smallest applications. When those panels were oversubscribed, and there were more organisations which met the criteria than could be funded, organisations were considered against the published Balancing Criteria and prioritised for funding accordingly. As such, a very small number of organisations (94) that applied to Arts Council England and met the primary criteria were not awarded funding on the basis of over-subscription, and how they compared to the Balancing Criteria. All of these applications were for less than £1m. In general, success rates across Round 1 of the Fund were high, averaging 67% in the latest data we have. Any unspent funds across the Arms Length Bodies will be allocated to the second round of the Culture Recovery Fund, which will deliver further support for cultural organisations during Spring and Summer 2021.

Television Licences: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had discussions with the BBC on the reason for the increase in the TV licence fee; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that pensioners are not subject to such increases.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Government has honoured the commitment made to the BBC during the last licence fee funding settlement negotiations in 2015 to increase the licence fee in line with inflation. The BBC’s Royal Charter (cl 43.1) required the Secretary of State to make a settlement agreement which covered the period 1st April 2017 to 31st March 2022. The CPI increase was agreed as part of the wider settlement during which the BBC accepted responsibility for the Over 75s TV Licence Fee concession from June 2020. The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC. The Secretary of State will make future decisions about the level of the licence fee following discussions with the BBC on the next settlement, which the Charter states must cover the period from 1st April 2022 for at least the next 5 years.